1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method of treating and preventing viral infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract caused by viruses which spread extra-cellulary.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Viruses are infectious agents characterized by their small size and ability to reproduce only within living cells. They are responsible for many diseases in man, including mumps, measles, small pox, yellow fever, poliomyelitis, influenza and the common cold. Viral diseases such as mumps, measles, small pox, yellow fever and poliomyelitis, which were once serious health problems, have been virtually eliminated as a result of the development of specific vacines.
In contrast, no medications have been developed to prevent viral infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract or to eliminate these viruses from the system once a patient has been infected with them. The viruses which cause the respiratory tract infections penetrate the mucus membrane cells of the para-nasal sinuses, nose and throat in order to replicate. This causes cell injury which results in the immediate release of histamine which in turn causes vaso congestion. In order to treat the symptoms of these viral infections, patients are given antihistamines, analgesics and decongestives which make the patient more comfortable, but have no direct effect on the underlying cause of the distress, the virus, and do nothing to activate the patients immunity system, which ultimately destroys and eliminates the virus.
The principal respiratory tract viral infections are the common cold, influenza and pneumonia. They are caused by six groups of viruses, to wit, Rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, influenza viruses, para influenza viruses, and Herpes simplex viruses. These broad groups are composed of over 150 serotypes or strains and all except the Herpes simplex viruses, spread from cell to cell extra-cellularly.